Chapter 16The Antebellum South1791 – 4,000 bales of cotton produced in the South1849 – 2,469,000 bales of cotton produced in the South

Cotton—south referred to as the “Cotton Kingdom”•Eli Whitney and Catharine Greene’s cotton gin made short-staple cotton profitable (1793)

the opening of the rich bottomlands in the Gulf Coast states encouraged more plantersCotton = 1/2 the value of all American exports after 1840South produced more than 1/2 the World’s supply of cotton75% of British supply came from the South

Profitability relied on ‘slave plantation system’ 1. One-crop (one commodity) economy 2. European immigrants could not compete with slave labor

3. Stimulated racism among poor whites 4. Created a political elite 5. Distinctive African American slave culture developed

6. By 1860s most slaves live in “black belt” states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana 7. Theory of biological racial superiority developed

Slaves fought slavery by—Slowing down work paceStealing goods that they had producedRunning awaySabotaging equipment

Rebellion:

Stono's Rebellion 1739 20 black slaves met in secret near the Stono River in South Carolina to plan their escape to freedom. Killed two storekeepers, and stole the guns and powder inside the store.The group of slaves grew in number as they headed south toward Florida and freedom.Stono's Rebellion, was the largest slave uprising in the Colonies prior to the American Revolution.

Stono's rebellion was only one among the 250 rebellions documented in the Colonies and later in the southern United States.

Rebellion: 1. 1800-*Slave Gabriel Prosser,

Richmond, VA; "Death or Liberty”

2. 1822- *Denmark Vesey, Charleston, SC; free and literate, conspired with Gullah Jack to capture Charleston arsenal

3. 1831-*Slave Nat Turner, killed 60 Virginians.

4. All put to death

Gabriel Prosser

Many were MulattosSome had purchased their own freedomSome owned propertySome Mulattos owned slavesForbidden basic civil rights; could not work in certain jobs, could not testify against whites, denied educationWere often “captured” and sold into slavery

Free BlacksSouth—about 250,000 by 1860

Some states had laws against their entranceMost forbid basic civil rightsMany barred blacks from public schoolsRacial prejudice and anti-black feelings often stronger in North than in SouthWere often "captured" and sold into slavery

Free BlacksNorth—about 250,000 by 1860

1808 legal importation of slaves outlawed in United States: •Smuggling continued •Death penalty to slavers who were caught •Only one slaver ever put to death

The rest of the Western World opposed slavery after the 1830s.

Abolitionists

Abolitionists seen by both Southerners and Northerners as a threat to society and economics:

"I am earnest -- I will not equivocate-- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- and I will be heard.” 1831

William Lloyd Garrison (white); LiberatorWould eventually split with American Anti-Slavery Society because he and others would advocate for women’s rights and against war

Elijah P. Lovejoy (white); murdered for the cause

Wendell Phillips (white); called the “golden trumpet” •would eat no sugar cane or wear cotton clothing because they were the products of slave labor

Martin Delany, a black Harvard educated physician and • Author of The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States• Civil War Officer • He formulated a plan in 1831 of transporting African Americans to Africa

Theodore Weld and wife Angelina Grimké • Together wrote American Slavery As It Is (1839), abolitionist propaganda book • Worked in “Little Africa” area of Cincinnati with poor blacks

David Walker (black); wrote Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World 1829, •advocated end of slavery by violent means if necessary

Frederick Douglass (Mulatto); speaker, former slave, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin

Theme =cruelty of family separation

In 1857, the Southern journalist Hinton R. Helper published The Impending Crisis of the South

North and South... tied to slavery

Northern states tied to slavery Textile mills needed the cotton; no cotton = no supply = unemployment Slave trading Southerners owed northern banks about $3 million

The South tried to put a positive spin on slavery: Slavery supported by authority of Bible and Constitution Slavery good for barbarous Africans because they were introduced to Christianity Slaves usually treated as members of the family Slaves better off than most northern wage earners

To Southerners slaves were a sign of distinction and upward mobility; non-slave owners hoped to own slaves as proof of upward class distinction

Southern ties with the North Protestant religion Western European traditions & English language Law and democracy Democratic Party

AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY

Founded in 1817** Goal was to solve slavery in the U.S. by gradual emancipation of slaves (with compensation to owners) and their resettlement in Africa.

Northerner’s were anxious to send free blacks to Africa By 1830 there were at least 50 black abolitionist societies in the North.

1822 the Republic of Liberia was established on the west coast of Africa and its capital was named Monrovia.

Over 40 years, only 15,000 blacks would agree to be transported to Liberia.

By 1860 few southern slaves were African… were native-born Americans

Colonization appealed to some white anti- slaveryites; Abraham Lincoln, Hinton Helper Many in the abolition movement opposed; Garrison and Frederick Douglass